Happier Than They Let On
by bigeandhertv
Summary: One shot. Comical story about the drunken stupor between Niles/C.C. in 2006. Slightly unbelievable but that is the beauty of the story. Rated M :


_Hello hello everyone! I started this story a few weeks ago and just finished it up. It is my version of what happened between Niles and C.C. during their drunken stupor in 2006. It is quite comical and slightly unbelievable but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. The quote about love and hate is from The Help._

Happier Than They Let On

Date: March 25th 2006

This was just any average day to most in the city of New York. However, this date meant a great deal more to the Brightmores. It was this strange and unexpected night that sparked the beginning of their now 20 year marriage. They were two seemingly different people with surprising similarities and living proof of the fact that love and hate really are two horns on the same goat.

…

It was a normal March morning in the city of New York. The air outside was still rather brisk and windy with little sunlight and little warmth but C.C. Babcock still chose to do her work outside. She rather enjoyed the cold, living up to her nickname of the Ice Queen. This was just one of the many degrading and insulting nicknames the surly butler had given her over the years.

With her glasses on the bridge of her nose, she continued to read the script while making numerous annotations with her red pen. While deep in thought over the content of the script, she felt a gust of wind hit her before several pages of the script were blown from under her. With little time to think, she did the first thing that came to her mind and took off her heels in order to hold the remaining pages of the script down. Barefoot, she ran down the street, chasing several pages of the script that had been scooped up by the wind.

While running down the street, she did not hear the bane of her existence open the back door and come out onto the patio with a tray of tea for her. Wondering where she was, he scanned the street and immediately saw her struggling to gather up the last few pages of the script. He immediately noticed her shoes on top of the pages that were fortunate enough to not to have been captured by the gust of wind.

Although he would never admit it to her, this sight of her struggling was rather endearing to him. For the 30 years he's known this woman, he can count on one hand the number of times in which he has seen her flustered, most if not all of these times being on the account of him.

She approached the patio after gathering the final page of the script. Fuming with anger she stepped through the gate before looking up and seeing him. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of red before she approached the table where both her stilettos and the remainder of the script sat. She gathered them up before heading inside doing everything possible to avoid his gaze. For 30 years she's known this man and she still couldn't bring herself to look at him through this embarrassment.

He followed her inside with the tray in hand. She sat down at Maxwell's desk and was bent over, attempting to put her stilettos back on. She only put one on, however, as she realized that a small chunk of glass was embedded in the ball of her right foot.

Niles watched her every move, mesmerized by this infuriating woman he's known so long. For so many years he's had many sleepless nights with this woman being the only thing on his mind.

Attempting to break the silence between them he asked her simply

"Miss Babcock, would you care for some tea."

She regarded him quickly, the ruby hue still present on her face. She felt herself flushed but attempted to stifle any embarrassment she felt by speaking in a tone as calm and collected as she could manage. Unfortunately, for her, her voice gave away how she really felt, coming out higher than usual. Maybe a little tea would relieve the dry feeling in her throat right now.

"Yes, Niles, with lemon."

"Were you able to get all the pages of the script, Miss Babcock?"

She turned a darker shade of red before clearing her throat and continuing.

"Yes, Niles! Now what are you still doing here?"

"What possessed you to take off your shoes while retrieving them?"

"Well, if you must know, I had to think fast, I had nothing to hold the script down, no paper weight and I had to retrieve them before they blew away. Not to mention, this is the only script in the whole damn pile that Maxwell gave me that actually has potential. Now, I must get back to reading it."

She frantically searched the desk as Niles gaze continued to bore down on her.

Finally, in frustration, she revealed just what she was looking for.

"Where are my damn glasses?"

Niles could barely manage to hold in his giggle and huge smile crept on his face.

"You're wearing them Miss Babcock."

She placed her hand on the side of her face feeling her black-rimmed spectacles in place. She attempted to put her other stiletto on her foot. Niles, however, immediately noticed the chunk of glass in her foot.

Without speaking, he left the room. C.C. relieved, kept her stiletto off before putting the pages of the script back in order. Her relief was short lived, however, when Niles entered the room with a sewing needle and tweezers in hand.

"Let me see your foot, Miss Babcock."

"Oh no, you are not touching me with that thing."

"Do you want the glass out of your foot or not?"

"I'll do it myself, give me the damn needle."

"Babs, give me your foot", his tone is soft but firm.

She relented and gave him her foot.

"My oh my Babs, your clodhoppers really did collect some New York City grime."

With that, he quickly left the room and came back not too long later with a washcloth. He wiped both her feet with the washcloth. His finger brushed against the inside of her ankle causing an electric current to run through her. After he wiped both her feet, he took her right ankle into his hand to examine the area. He carefully pried a little bit of her skin, exposing the glass before quickly grabbing the chunk with the tweezers and disposing of it.

Her ankle burned from his touch. There were so many years of suppressed feelings between them both hidden by the walls that they both put up. It was easy putting walls up. She had done it for years. It had become second nature for her.

He was back again after disposing of the glass. He bent down and carefully slipped the stiletto heel back onto her perfectly manicured foot, his hands ending up a little higher up her leg than necessary before he removed them. Her skin tingled from his touch and the twitch from within her told her that she suddenly desired him. Maybe it was this desire for him that caused her sudden inquiry.

If asked about it today, she couldn't explain what caused her to suddenly ask Niles out on that particular day. Of course she had been out with him before, but it usually involved some sort of prior obligation. These two never went out together by choice. Until this day.

"There, all better Miss Babcock."

He turned to leave, his fingertips tingling from the touch of her porcelain skin. Oh, how he loved her skin. The feel of it alone made him crazy with desire. But that delusion that she would ever consider being with him as more than just a one-night stand was far away. 30 years is certainly a long time to know someone.

"Niles, wait."

His cerulean eyes were met with her smoky blue ones. This was another part of her that he had memorized down to the tiniest speck of color. He was surprised to see them a darker shade than normal.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I do have a Butler's association meeting tonight…"

"You're still a member of that."

"Lifetime, Babs, anyways, why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, I was hoping that, maybe…you would want to…get some drinks later on. It's the least I could do since you were so kind enough to get the glass out of my foot. I am sure it must have been difficult for you to help me."

"Is this a date, Babcock?"

"Don't push it butler boy, I'll pick you up at 7:00, if you're interested."

"Well, I suppose, I could skip the meeting, a lifetime is a long time after all. Count me in Babs!"

"Great, see you later."

She surprised herself by giving him a suggestive wink and flashing a smile before he left the room.

She attempted to continue reading the script in front of her, however, it had become quite impossible to concentrate all of the sudden. Truth was, she was extremely nervous about her "date" with Niles. She scolded herself for calling it that.

What did she expect to happen? What did she want to happen? Why in the hell did he make her so damn crazy and so damn hot at the same time? _I mean I've known the man for 30 years, what could possibly happen that hasn't already happened between us. He's seen me at my best and my…worst._

She cringed at the thought. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all?_

But the searing of her skin and the throbbing of her core told her otherwise.

…..

Niles was dressed up waiting for C.C. to arrive. He had showered, shaved and put on his casual clothes. He usually didn't wear jeans, but had decided to pull them out for the occasion. They were dark denim. He wore them along with a white button down. It gave him a slightly younger looking appearance than his normal suit that he wore when fulfilling his duties at the Sheffield Mansion.

Seven o'clock on the dot he heard her car pull up. She had bought a new BMW recently, which was equipped with the most modern technology.

He heard the doorbell ring and was immediately up to answer it. He opened it and his mouth dropped open at the sight of her. With age, she had become somewhat heavier in recent years, but the outfit she had on enhanced her curvier figure. Her denim skirt hugged her hips beautifully and the v-neck blouse she had on revealed a hint of cleavage while still leaving much to the imagination.

Without speaking Niles grabbed his coat before the two of them headed down the steps to her car and got in.

Finally Niles spoke to her.

"So Babcock, where are we headed?"

"A little bar that I frequent."

She turned to face him briefly and he flashed her a devilish grin. She turned her eyes back to the road before his eyes explored what they could see of her gorgeous body.

She could feel his eyes on her and she couldn't deny that the prospect of the two of them being together excited her.

They arrived to the bar soon enough and C.C. ordered the two of them a glass of scotch. Nerves began to kick in and they downed them quickly. They repeated this several more times, one glass after another, each time the liquid burning on the way down their gullets.

They were both quite wasted now and on the moon. They both felt as if they could do anything and nothing would stop them. C.C. paid the tab and they immediately ditched the place.

They drunkenly walked over to the club next to the bar. It was a club that C.C. would normally never be caught dead in, the average age of the people there was about 21. The music was varied switching from a few fast songs to a slow one and back again.

The two of them were immediately on the dance floor, there hands all over one another and their dancing not at all in sync with the music. As intoxicated as C.C. was, his touch still had a severe effect on her. She was receptive to every little area of flesh bare or not that he put his hands on. His hands were on her back again before they moved downward and landed on her hips.

He loved the feeling of her curves in his hands. He took her in entirely for a little longer before pulling her towards him and wrapping his hands around the small of her back. He leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips in order to gauge her response and was thrilled when she responded forcefully.

The two of them were in a passionate frenzy, her lips parted as his tongue entered and explored her mouth. He could taste the scotch they had consumed early and it burned his tongue slightly. She was responsive to his exploration and their tongues entwined around one another in slight struggle for dominance. Her breasts were pressed against him and they both noted the others' quickened heartbeats.

They broke apart when the need for oxygen forced them apart. Their lips were swollen as they gazed into each other's eyes oblivious to the attention they had drawn from the younger crowd.

Niles could see the hunger in her eyes as they had darkened with desire. It was the first time these two had seen eye to eye. He wanted to take her as his in every way possible.

The two of them ordered another fruity drink known as a 'Charlie Sheen' and sipped it up quickly before heading back onto the dance floor. Their hands were all over one another once again but the attention that was on them had since drifted to some other overly affectionate couple. Niles pulled C.C. close once again, feeling her breasts against him made him harden immediately. His hands shifted down her back and snuck under shirt.

The feeling of his touch gave her goose bumps and she resonated sounds of pleasure in his ear as her head rested on his shoulder. Her hot breath against his skin and this sound alone further aroused him. She kissed his neck and he knew then that he must have his way with her.

As drunk as the two of them were, they were still aware of the rather filthy surroundings. The two of them ran out of the club hand in hand. They saw a large department store across the street and immediately crossed the street and rushed inside. Niles dragged her to the back of the store and could hold out no longer.

He crushed his lips on top of hers and the two of them ravenously began kissing one another once again. C.C. began undoing the buttons of his shirt exposing his broad chest and small patches of hair. She ran her hands through it before he asserted dominance and quickly began unbuttoning her blouse before slipping it down her shoulders.

Her black lacy bra held her perfectly round breasts and he could see her quivering in excitement. He aggressively unzipped her skirt revealing matching black lacy panties. He slipped off his pants and the two of them were rolling around in nothing but there undergarments. Niles moved her bra up before she reached back to unhook it entirely. He began his attack, brandishing her with kisses along the inside of her neck. She purred in pleasure and he smiled against her neck before beginning his attack on her now exposed breasts. He ran his tongue along her nipple before sucking on it intensely. He was pleased as her breast hardened and swelled in response. He repeated the same attack on her other breast before trailing his tongue along the trail towards her belly. He massaged her through her lacy panties and could feel that she was wet.

The tension had already built up within them both and they suddenly realized that they were taking a risk. Niles quickly slipped off her panties along with his own boxer briefs. He massaged his point of entry before vigorously stimulating her clit. She was on the verge of climax already and had to bite her lip so that she didn't scream his name too loud. She moaned through her teeth before he ran the tip of his shaft along his point of entry before plunging inside of her.

His thrusts started out slow and long and he could feel her digging her manicured nails into his shoulders. The slight pain further aroused him and he quickened his thrusts. He cupped her butt, guiding her hips into his. Her round butt fit perfectly in his hands and their thrusting was in perfect rhythm.

He felt her release and she spasms around him, euphoria flowing through every muscle in her body. Her muscle spasm brought on his own climax and he collapsed on top of her.

The two of them were slick with sweat in spite of the fact that it was cold in the store. He planted another kiss on her lips and she grabbed the back of his head, running her hands through his blonde locks. They broke apart for air before quickly gathering their clothes and putting them on.

Niles ran a finger through her bottled blonde slightly graying locks admiring how soft her hair felt on the tips of his fingers. They smiled at one another somewhat bashfully before deciding to leave.

The two of them quickly rushed out of the store before Niles planted another desperate kiss on top of her swollen red lips.

The two of them headed back to the bar they were in and ordered themselves 2 waters and 2 glasses of scotch. They drank them both up rather quickly before contemplating their next move.

"So glad I skipped that Butler's association meeting", Niles slurred slightly.

"Yeah, so much for being a lifetime member." C.C. chuckled.

"Well Babs, I figure I might as well commit my life to something since I haven't found that someone, although come to think of it I could imagine myself spending my life with someone."

He pauses briefly before continuing.

"Marry me Babcock!"

"What?"

"Marry me."

Still quite drunk, visions swirled through her head of her and Niles and all of the intimate moments that had shared together including the one they had just moments ago. Physically, he had just pleasured her more than any other man had.

"What the hell, okay!"

"Let's go."

"Let's get married. Right now."

He grabbed her hand and the two of them are immediately out the door.

They hailed a cab and through their drunkenness and slurred speech, they were somehow still able to give the cab driver their destination.

They walked into the chapel. It resembled 'The Little White Chapel' in Vegas with just a few pews on each side of the chapel and a very small altar and lightly colored off white walls.

Within a few minutes, a middle aged man walked out, ready to perform the service. He had seen this same scenario a million times, two drunken individuals deciding to get married impulsively.

On numerous occasions he had made the effort to attempt to talk them out of their impulsive decisions knowing that they would regret it in the morning. But tonight, he was tired and there was something different about this couple, and so he kept his mouth shut and did his thing.

"Do you Chastity Claire Babcock, take Niles Brightmore to be your lawfully wedded husband."

She giggled before speaking.

"I do."

"And do you Niles Brightmore, take Chastity Claire Babcock to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"By the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." And with that, the ordained minister briskly walked out of the building, glad that his shift was finally over.

C.C. and Niles passionately kissed one another until they needed air before breaking apart. They smiled at one another and the two of them ran out of the chapel.

Niles checked his watch but had a hard time reading it between the spinning and cloudiness of his vision and the darkness surrounding him in the New York City street.

"Mrs. Brightmore!" he said loudly with his deep baritone.

"Could you please give me the time? The numbers on my watch are moving." He laughed loudly.

C.C. grabbed his wrist and squinted to read the numbers on his watch. She too, could not make out the time and so she ran up to a random woman walking down the street and asked her.

The woman rolled her eyes, but managed to inform C.C. of the current time.

"It's 2:57 am, Butler Boy."

Niles burst into fits of laughter at C.C.'s normally demeaning and insulting nickname.

"Guess what, Babs? You're Mrs. Butler Boy now!" His laughter became even more sporadic as she looked at him, slightly dumbfounded.

"C'mon C! I got one more stop before we go back to _our _penthouse."

He dragged her by the hand into a different department store and picked out some sharpies. He paid for them, not bothering to collect the change and ran out of the store with C.C. still holding his hand. He quickly opened the sharpie and picked out the red one.

"Come here Mrs. Brightmore!"

She laughed and approached him. He drew a heart on her forehead followed by the words "Mrs. Butler Boy."

He moved down to the skin exposed by her v-neck blouse and wrote the words "just married."

He then gave the marker to C.C. and she wrote, "I'm with her" and gave him a fake curled up moustache.

"Monsieur, you look mighty fine," she slurred her words as she attempted a French accent.

"Gracias, Señora Brightmore", he similarly slurred while attempting his Spanish one.

They hailed a cab and quickly got in before the cab drove them back to C.C.'s penthouse.

They stumbled up the stairs before C.C. fumbled with her keys and opened the door to the apartment. The two of them stumbled into C.C.'s master bedroom, stripped off their clothes and hopped into bed together.

Even extremely inebriated, they were both aroused as the two of them were completely stripped down in bed next to one another.

C.C. shifted position so that she was on top of him before she crashed her lips on top of his. He let her dominate, becoming extremely turned on as her tongue explored his mouth once again.

Her hands shifted down to his hardened cock, and he groaned at her touch. She shifted herself over top of him and eased him inside her. Doing most of the work, she grinded her hips, moving up and down his shaft. He cupped her butt and guided her thrusts. They began slow and long but quickened with his helpful hands.

Immediately after screaming his name, she came, experiencing her spasms with him still inside. This mind-blowing climax was bigger than the one she'd experienced earlier as waves of pleasure flew through every fiber and being of her body. Niles came immediately after and the two of them were slick with sweat once again, breathing hard next to one another.

They turned toward one another before simultaneously flashing their smiles. C.C. shifted toward Niles and turned to her side. He briefly cupped her backside once again, enjoying how perfectly her curvaceous butt fit into his hands. Surely, she would have some love marks in the morning from his firm grabbing just moments earlier.

He wrapped his arms around her and the two of them fell asleep soundly.

….

C.C. was the first to wake up the next morning. Her headache was extreme as flashes of the night before came back to her. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Niles naked form in the bed next to her. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to remember more about that night. The department store "fun" came back to her and then slowly but surely her mind remembered the wedding.

Not wanting to wake Niles, she went to the bathroom and gasped as she looked at the words scribbled on her face from the night before.

Without hesitation and slight sense of urgency, she hopped into the shower and began scrubbing, desperately trying to get the sharpie off of her face and collar. She peered from behind the shower curtain after she heard the door open and saw Niles gasp as he saw the writing on his face.

Sleep, still in his eyes, he groggily hopped into the shower and was completely woken from his slumber as hot water hit him in the back and he crashed into a drenched and naked C.C. Babcock.

Their eyes met for several seconds as the water continued to crash down on them. As if in a trance, Niles hand cupped her cheek and he lightly kissed her lips. She responded with a more forceful kiss before the two of them snapped out of the trance.

"Miss Babcock….C.C…. I think we need to talk!"

He quickly got out of the shower and grabbed a robe out of the closet much to her disappointment.

He made some coffee and some food knowing that would be the only way to get rid of their hangovers.

C.C. came down in a t-shirt and sweatpants a few minutes later and sat down at her dining room table. Niles served her some bacon, eggs and pancakes and made a plate for himself before sitting down at the table with her.

They ate their breakfast completely in silence before Niles cleaned everything up. C.C. watched him without saying anything before he sat back down at the table across from her.

"So, Miss Babcock…."

"Niles, call me C.C. We are married now after all."

Her face cringed slightly as she said it out loud.

"Umm C.C. What do you think we should do about our current…predicament, if you will?"

"Well…I supposed we could get an annulment. I mean, as much alcohol as I consumed I think I would have married Brighton."

She saw what she thought was a spark of sadness in his eyes at this suggestion.

"Yes, I suppose we could do that."

"Funny isn't it?"

"What's funny, C.C.?"

"I never imagined my wedding like this."

"Well I certainly didn't envision this for myself either."

"I also thought I'd be about 25 years younger on my wedding day as well."

"Well Babs, since when did our lives consist of normalcy?"

"Well I can tell you one thing, Niles, I'm not getting any younger."

"I'm not exactly a spring chicken, myself."

"Yes, I know."

"What are you suggesting, Babs?"

"Oh I don't know…an annulment just seems like so much work and hassle and frankly what the hell is difference if I'm married or not. Not to mention if they didn't grant us permission, we'd have to get a divorce and that would be even more hassle and frankly I'm just too busy and old to deal with all of this."

"Babs, are you saying that you want to stay married?"

"Well, it wouldn't be _that_ bad being married to you."

"I suppose it would be alright."

But the gleam in his eye suggested that he was more than just 'alright' with the arrangement.

"So Niles, will you do me the honor and stay married to me?"

"I would love to remain your husband, Chastity Claire Babcock."

"You remembered my full name?"

"Honey, I knew your name long before our nuptials"

"Oh well, don't wear it out, if you get my drift."

"Chastity Claire, my wife, I must get you a ring."

"Niles, you really don't have to do that."

"C.C. I refuse to let your finger be bare any longer. "

Suddenly, the color had drained out of his face, as if he was walking towards the face of death. C.C. was concerned and confused by the sudden 180 in his demeanor.

"Niles, you're scaring me."

"Ummm C.C. didn't we take you car last night to the bar. I specifically remember not taking it home. Oh my God…"

"Niles, calm down, I had my assistant pick it up and bring it back home for me as soon as we got to the bar. I may love my alcohol, but I'm still a responsible, careful adult."

The color immediately rushed back to his cheeks as he realized his worries were not necessary.

"C'mon my love, let's make a day of it."

And with that, the two of them headed out of _their_ apartment. Niles bought C.C. a simple but elegant diamond ring and the two of them lived much happier than they let on to the rest of the world.


End file.
